Build An Effective Kennel For Your Dog

Most pet owners are happy to have their dogs sleep in the house, however, for some, it might be necessary to have somewhere outside the house where their pet can sleep in comfort.

So, to keep your dog as comfortable as possible, build a kennel with two rooms. The first ‘room’ has the main entrance with another entrance to the second ‘room’ which acts as sleeping quarters. This provides a warmer and more sheltered place for your dog to sleep.

Make the inner room (sleeping quarters) 150 mm larger in all directions than the dog is when curled up, the outer room can be half as wide. The height should be 150 mm higher than the distance from the floor to the top of your dogs head when sitting. The doorways need to be equal to the dogs shoulder height and 50 mm wider than it’s shoulder width. The outer door should be placed at right angles to the internal door. This helps keep the weather out of the sleeping area.

The floor area is the combination of the width and length measurements and should be made from 18 mm exterior grade plywood. Fix this to a plinth made the same size from 50 x 100 mm treated timber, so that it raises the floor off the ground. The inner and exterior walls can be made from 18 mm exterior grade chipboard, with the top of the exterior wall ends cut at 45 degree angles to allow for the sloping roof. The roof itself should be made of 18 mm exterior grade plywood, cut the roof panels 50 mm larger on the overhanging sides, to create the eaves. If you can, make the roof panels detachable or hinged to make it easier to clean the interior spaces. Cover the roof panels with roofing felt to make it weather tight.

Lastly, the exterior should be painted with a suitable weatherproof paint. When you come to site the kennel, put it somewhere where your pet will be able see the to and fro of the family.

Why not celebrate your pet by commissioning your very own portrait from Rob Tyrrell, Pet Portraits, visit his site see the best in pet portraits from photos on the market.